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RIYADH (Reuters) – A senior government official told Reuters that Saudi King Salman will begin a weeklong national tour, as the absolute monarchy faces the worst political crisis of his generation since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
This is the first such trip for the 82-year-old king since he became the world's largest oil exporter in 2015, according to local media outlets, who have made stops in the provinces of Qbadim and Hail, both located northwest of Riyadh. .
The Sabq online information website announced that the king would launch projects in the areas of health, education and infrastructure, but that few other details were immediately available.
The tour comes as Saudi Arabia faces an international outcry after the murder of Khashoggi a month ago in his consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied playing a role in his disappearance, but under pressure from the Turkish authorities, he finally identified 18 suspects in the case.
It was not clear for now if the king's powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would participate in the tour.
Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, said that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the "highest levels" of the Saudi government, but that he did not believe that King Salman was behind this order.
Riyadh blamed Khashoggi's death on a "dishonest operation" and said that the Crown Prince had no knowledge of the killing.
King Salman played a more concrete role in Saudi politics after delegating vast powers to Prince Mohammed, who embarked on extensive social and economic reforms, but marginalized some members of the kingship and oversaw the repression of dissent.
(Stephen Kalin report, edited by Kevin Liffey)
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